Vehicle



an 5, 19z7,

l. ATHEY vmucu Filed Feb. 1. 1923 Patent Apx u 5, 1927.

CHICAGO,

VE'HIGLE.

My invention r9labes t improvements in vehicies, ancl is 1' art 1culariyconcerned with improvementsin vehicles of tiw track-la ing type in whicha. flexible trank passes a)out 6 and supports the ioad-carrying wheeis.

The objects 0f my invention am:

First. T0 providaa vehicie o-f the ch araeter described comprisinflexible track forr'ned a pluraiity of linis 01 shoes, the adjacent edes of winch arg piotaily 'connected toget er 120 form a continuous bandpassing around the lcagl-supporting whceis, the links 0x shoes havinginwardly projecting t russ arms, each of which is connected with the 1truss arm-g; 0171 the ajacent links or shoes b links which prevent theinne: e'ncis of tiie truss'arms from separating more than apredetermined distance an thus provide a rigid mach of track upon whichthe inad- 9 suggponting wheeis roll.

ecbnd. T0 provide 21 veh1cle comprising a track of'the characterdescrihed in which the.tn1ss arms ai'1ci the truss links am so arranged218 #90 fol compactly tonethenwher e the tra.ck chain passes around ieloadsupporting wheels.

Third. T0 pr0Vide a tme:k chain 033 1e character described in which Ehearrangement of the truss arms und the ttuss links is 80 such that the'movement cf the trusis links,

when they are assuming their trussing positionand When t hey am assumingtheir solla sed p0sition, Will be one 01" gradua1 acce eration anddeceieration, so as 120 relieve the links themselves and tbeir pivotalconne itions, as well as other portions 025 the track, from the suddenstresses which ar imposed thereon in tracks cf this character in which adifierant iype 0i' trussing 0011- stmction is empioyed; 811d Fourth. T0provide a construction 0f the character descrihed which is simple in cmstruction, efiicient in operation and econormc al to manufactxxre, anwhich, nt the same time, provides a maximum mnonnt 0E:

strength with n. minimum amount 0f material.

Other objects of my invention will appear 'as this descriptinnprogrnssc& reference heim;

had to the acco'mpanying dmwin'gs, in which- Figur.e 1 is a sich:clevation of a vehu;le

ILLINOIS, A COBPOBATION OB ILLINOIS.

'responding to line ISAAC H. AT'HEY, O3? CHICAGO, ILLINOIS ASSIGNOB T0AZHEY TR'U'S WHEEIi CO. DF

embodving my invention, ortions cf the tmck ineing broken away' u eng: aline cox= 11 of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is an end elevatiqn of one 0f the links or shoes' forx'ning myimpmved trck chain; and

Figure .3 is a horizontal section haken on line 3*3 of Figure 2.

Throughoutfthe several views, similar reference charaders will be usefor referiiiig' to similar parts.

Referr ing to the drawings, I have illustrated my mvent1on m connectionwith a vehic le which coinpri'ses an axle 5 for supporting theload-carrying frame (not shown) A beam 6. is pivotally mounted upon theaxle 5 and carries a shaft Tat eachend thereof. The ends of theSeshafts' project from opposite sides' cf the beam 6 und. each siiaftcmries a pair of load-supporting Wheels 8, whigh roll upon t-he irackabout 329 be described.l lt will, of course, be understood that theopposite end of the axle 5 carries a beam 6, upon the end of whieh is'mounted a pair cf wheels 8 und. a tra.ck similar to the one shown inFigure 1.

Euch of the tracks'embodied in my improved vehicie comprisesagflura.iity 0f links or shoes preferably forme from a cinmnel shapedcasting S), the bottom adupted to engage tixe earth. A hinge Ing 01bearing block 11 projects from Cme side 0f each shoe and a pair of hingelugs 01' bearing blocks 12 project from the op- 'poszite side of eachShoe and am spaced apart sufliciently to receiva ehe hinge Ing, 11 ofthe adjacent shoe. Piritles 13- extending through the hinge iu,g' hingeiugs 12 cf the next adjalcent shoe, provide means for pivotallyinterconnectin the adjacent shoe=s toform an endiess trac f0r the loadsupporting wheeis. of the .shnes provido parailei endiess treads simwnmost cleariy in 13 may lu;;s 11 0r 12 01 in bnth of them, 'as may bedcsired. A truss arm 14 L shaped in cross sectirm extends inwardiy froma point adja r0nt nach end of 0ne side o f each shoe, und

10 of =which is 11 of one shoe und the The einig auch pair 0f wheels 8as Fig.'2. The pinfles. im rotatably mounted in either the 3 'VEAB'LE Wu simiiarly shaped truss arm 15 projects i.n-' 1 wurdly from a poitzidjacent each end of.

the other side of the shqe, these arms being s aced a a1"t fnrther thanthe arms 14, as cearly s own 1njFigures 2 und 3. Eacl1 pair of arms 14and 15 converge toward each supportin dther und toward the c0rrespondinpair f' arms at the other end 0f the shoe; aph pa1r of arms 14 und 15are integrally jomed als their upper ends to provide a bearin g 16 forthe pivot ins 17. A tie 18; formed mtegral 'ly with t e inner ends ofthe two pairs 0f truss arms, connects the truss arms adjacent theirinne! ends.

Ribs or flanges 22, extenclin across:each end cf each shoe between the%ower end of auch pair of truss arms 14 and 15, provide means forenguging the rlms of the laudwheels 8 and automatically centers' the s'oes wlth respect to eacl1 {wir 0f load-supporting whe6ls From aninspectionof Figure 1,. it will lue seen that the truss arme; 0falternate shoes are shorter than the truss arm*s of the remaining shoes,but otherwise their construction is si1bstantially the same.

F01 trussingtogether the inner er1ds 0f the truss arms, I provide eachof the shoes having the longer truss arms. with two pairs 19 und 20,respectively, of.truss links, which are pivotally mounted u on thepivol; pin 17 with the respective links of, th e last-mentioned pairlying outside of the pair 19 (see Figures 1 und 2). The, otherends 0fboth pmrs of links are provided with longitudinally extending slots 21for receiving the pivot pin 17 of' the aiijz1cent shorter truss arms; asshown in Figure 1.

From an mspect1on of F1gure 1, 1t Wlll be seen that; by makihg the trussarins 0f alternate shoes shorter than the truss urms 0r the remainingshoes, the t1llSs-mms 0r the links passing around a whgel can 'f0ldtogether much more compactly than would be Possible if the trusS arrnsWare of equal ength. II; Will also be &ppairent thal: by maklngalternate truss arms' shorter than the remnining truss arms, the trusslinks are given an initial defletrtion, which prevents the ends cf thetruss links from engaging 'the inner ends or heads of adjacent linkswhen the tru=rs links am collapsed a.s shown als the righ't-hanrl enclof Figure l. Furthermore the truss links are always cansed to fold 01collapse outvvardly during the pas sage of the shoos around tl1e loadsupporting' wheels anrl i'rxl'erfercnce und locking on dead cenlersalrelhcreby preve1itml. Anntl1er ndvantage which*results from thecanstruclion just described* is thzit, when thc shoes beginto foldurouml one of tl1e 10mlsupporting wheels, the init'ial movement 'oi th eslottedends of the trnss links is comparatively Slow und graduallyaccelerates and then as1 gradually deeelgrates, so that, durmg th1smov'exnent, therefls 110 snap er inembers being whip action 05 m linksWl1ichis present in sonne types of truss chains in vehivles of thik myinvention, it is t0 be clearly nnderstood tliat my invention is notlimited to thesddeadaptations and modifications within t he scope 0f theappended Claims Having tlms rlescribed my invention; what 1 claim is:

1. A track chain for a, vehicle comprisin n plurality of sln0es, eachlmvir1g a lsre member, the edges of the adjacent l;'read pivotallyconnected, -a truss tails 0f construction, but is capabl O). 0ther' armextending mwardly frnrn eaich sida f each end of sind shoes, smol armsconverging toward nach other andbe1ng securqzjljgogether al; thei1 innerencls, tl1e ar'ms onalternate shoes being short er than the arma 011 theother .shoes, a horizontal ly extending pivnc pin carried by theinnex"encls 0f the truss arms ol eacl1 shoe, und. truss links counectingthe pin of eaqh shoe wilzh the Pins of l;he adjacent slxoes, said linkshawing longitudinally extendi1ig slots' formed therein f0r receiving thepins on the shorter truss arms.

2. A track chain for a vehicle comprisin a plurality of shoes, eachhaving a tre memloer the edges' of the acljacent treacl members beingpivotally connectedl, a. truss;

arm k:xtending inwardly from michtread member, .the truss arms onall;ernate tread members being shorter than t he truss arms 011 thenemaixiing tread -members, a. pivot pin carr1ed by euch truss arm andtruss links-pivotally mounted 011 the pins carried by the langer trussaxms and hzwing longi' tudinally extending slots f0r receiin'ng the pinson said shorter trnss arms 3L A track chaln for a vehicle inc luding aplurality of shoes, each comprising lxtread m6rnber, the adjacerit edgesof saxd tretl inernbers being pivotally connected, a truss arm extendinginwardly from ea;ch tread member-, 'the truss arms oh alternate treadmembers being shorfler than tl1e truss arx'n 011 the remaining treadmembers, and'col-' lapsilole mean-s for connecting the inner ends ofadlac'ent truss arms.

4:. A track chain for a vel1icle inclucling a plurality of shoes eachcomprising a tread member, tha adjacent edges of said. tread membersbeing piyotally conliected, a truss arm extndi-ng inwartllyfrom eachtread niember, the truss arms on alternate tread members being shorterthan the truss an'nswing alternately reltively long and short, on theremaining tread mernbers. and interconnections between the truss armrs5. A track chain f or a vehicle, compri sing L0 permit the arms L0 folclLogethe'r and limit 10 a series of tread'shoes pivotally intercor1 theirseparation. 5 nected t0 forni an endless, flexible trackfoi In Witnesswhereof, l hereunt0 su bscribe 'su'staining' the lozid a truss armextending my name this 10th day of J anuary, 1923.

inwa rdly from each*;hoe, the truss arr ns be-- y ISAAC H. ATHEY.

